Last.



. H. A. BALLARD.

LAST.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 24, 1909.

1,080,521, Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

col.

UNTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRIE A. BALLARD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOYLSTONMFG. COMPANY, OF SOUTH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

LAST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 24, 1909.

Patented Dec. 2,1913.

Serial No. 509,288.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRIE A. Bxnnann, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Lasts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a last comprising a forepart and heel-partadapted to slide with relation to each other so that the last may beshortened and readily removed from a shoe without stretching the same.The forepart and heel-part of a last, formed in this manner, are usuallyconnected by a connecting member, and are provided with means forlocking the two parts in their normal position, said means being adaptedto be retracted for the purpose of unlocking the two parts to permitrelative movement thereof.

The objects of the present invention are to reduce the cost ofmanufacture of such a last as much as possible, and at the same time toprovide a connecting member and locking device having sufiicientstrength and rigidity to withstand the strains imposed upon the lastduring the manufacture of a shoe.

The invention is embodied in a connecting member embedded in theforepart and heelpart which are slotted to receive the connect ingmember and which consists of two or more plates arranged face to faceand formed with a recess adapted to contain the locking member. Byreason of forming the connecting member of a plurality of plates, theexpense of providing a recess for the locking member may be kept at arelatively low point by cutting out a portion of one the plates prior toassembling the plates. In this way, the plate which lies next to theplate which is cut out, constitutes a seat for the locking member. Themost convenient and cheapest form of locking member to be used with thisform of connection may be formed of sheet metal equal in thickness tothe plate so cut out and is therefore adapted to be flush or in otherwords, to lie in the same plane as the recessed plate.

The most simple manner of applying the connecting member formed in theforegoing manner is to affix it to one of the last parts and to form itwith one or more slots adapted to receive transverse pins carried by theother last art whereby sliding relation is completed between the latterpart and the connecting member. The locking member carried by theconnecting member may be provided with shoulders or otherwise formed soas to engage and cooperate with the sliding pins and lock the slidingpart against movement relatively to the connccting member.

Of the accompanying drawings which illustrate one form in which theinvention may be embodied, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a two-partlast in extended condition, partly broken out and revealing theconnecting and locking means. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing thelocking member retracted and the two parts in foreshortened condition.Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. i is a perspective viewof the connecting member and locking member.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever theyoccur.

The last, here shown, comprises a forepart 10 and heel-part 11 formedwith abutting faces 12 and 13. The two parts are divided on a planewhich extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear of the arch portionwhereby sliding movement of one part relatively to the other is adaptedto produce a foreshortening effect. The abutting portions of the parts10 and 11 are provided with longitudinally perpendicular slots 14 and 15adapted to receive a connecting member 16. The member 16 is affixed toone of the parts by means such as transverse pins 17 and is adapted toslide in the slot of the other part. That portion of the connectingmember which has sliding relation, is slotted as indicated at 18. Theslotted portion may be formed of a single elongated slot, or, as hereshown, of two separate slots arranged in alinement and separated by abridge 19. In either event it is desirable that the slot or slots shouldbe parallel to the plane of the abutting faces 12 and 13. Connectionbetween the member 16 and the sliding part may be completed bytransverse pins 20 carried by said part and extending through theslotted portion of the connecting member. The two distant ends of theslots 18 constitute stops for limiting the sliding movement of themember 16 and the bridge portion 19 may also be arranged to be engagedby the pins 20 and thus act as an additional stop.

The connecting memberlfi, as illustrated, consists of two plates 21 and252! (if similar outline. The plates are arranged face to face and form,as it were, a member of double thickness. The plate 22, before beingassembled, is formed with a recess 23 extending transverselytherethrough, said recess being provided for the reception of a lockingdevice 24:. One end of the member 24; is formed with a partiallycircular head 25 and the recess .8 includes a socket 26 for thereception of the head 25. The socket 26 has a contracted throat formedby shoulders 27 which are adapted to confine the head in the socket. Theother end of the member 24: may extend beyond the edge of the connectingmember 16 in the form of a handle or finger piece 28 by which it may bemanually moved. lVhen the end 28 is moved in one direction the member 24swings about the axis of the head 25 which constitutes a pivot therefor.The end 28, after being moved to unlock the parts of the last, may bedrawn upwardly to move the heel part. The member 24: is provided withshoulders 29 which are adapted to engage and lock the pins 20 in theslots 18. A leaf spring 80 may be affixed to the locking member 2 1 andarranged so as to engage a wall of the recess 23 and exert its tensionto move the lock ing member into locking position as shown by Figs. 1and A.

The connecting means for the parts 10 and 11 and the lockingdevice hereshown are extremely rigid and effective, and are adapted to be producedat a relatively slight cost of manufacture. The plates 21 and '22 may,if desired, be otherwise connected with each other by means of rivets,not shown, or they may be, instead of being formed of separate plates,formed of a single plate folded to present two laminae. It is notessential, however, that the laminae should be connected otherwise thanby the pins by which the forepartand heel-part are attached.

The locking member 24 lies within the planes of the faces of the member16. Its end extends upwardly so as to project a short distance beyondthe Waist of the last, and, being movable longitudinally of the last tounlock the forepart and heel part, its end is in position where it maybe manipulated without the aid of a, special tool.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and described away of constructing and using the same, although without attempting toset forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modesof its use, I declare that what I claim is 1. A last comprising aheeLpart, a forepart, a connecting member affixed to one part and havingsliding relation with the other, a plurality of members aflixed to thesliding part, and a member carried by said connecting member andprovided with a plurality of shoulders to engage said fixed membersrespectively and lock the parts of the last against movement.

2. A last comprising a heel-part, a forepart, a connecting memberaffixed to one part and having a slotted portion in sliding relationwith the other, a plurality of pins embedded in said other part andextending through said slotted portion, and a locking member pivoted atone end to said connecting member and having shoulders to engage andlock with said pins.

3. A last comprising a heel-part, a forepart, a connecting memberaffixed to one part and having a slotted portion in sliding relationwith the other, a plurality of pins embedded in said other part andextending through said slotted, portion, said connecting member having arecess, and a locking member having a pivot arranged in said recess, andshoulders to engage said pins.

4. A last comprising a forepart, a heelpart, a connecting plate aflixedto one part and having a slotted portion embedded in sliding relation inthe other, a plurality of pins extending through said slotted portioninto said sliding part, and a spring-actuated locking member carried bysaid connecting member and formed with shoulders to engage and lock saidpins.

5. A last comprising a forepart, a heelpart, a connecting member aflixedto one part and having a slotted portion in sliding relation with theother, means for connect ing the slotted portion with the sliding part,said connecting member having a recess with a contracted throat, and alocking member formed with a head movably confined in said recess, andwith one or more locking shoulders to engage said connecting means tolock the last.

6. A last comprising a forepart and heelpart formed with longitudinalperpendicular recesses in their abut-ting portions, a connecting memberconsisting of a plurality of flat plates arranged face to face in saidrecesses and affixed to one part and also provided with slots, meanscarried by the other part and extending through said slots so as toslide therein, one of said plates having a recess, and a locking memberarranged in the recess of said plate to cooperate with and lock thesliding means in said slots.

7. A last comprising a forepart, a heelpart, a connecting memberconsisting of a plurality of plates arranged face to face and formedwith a slotted. portion, said forepart and heel-part having slots forthe reception of said member, means carried by one part and extendingwith sliding relation through the slotted portion of said member, meansaflixing said member in the other part, said member having a recessextending through one of said plates, and a locking member arranged insaid recess and formed with shoulders to engage and lock said slidingmeans.

8. A last comprising a forepart and a heel-part capable of relativesliding movement, a member connecting said parts, said member beingaflixed to one of said parts, and movably connected to the other of saidparts, said parts being recessed for the reception of said connectingmember, and a movable locking member carried by said connecting member,said locking member having a portion extending above the last whereby itmay be manually engaged and operated.

9. A last comprising a forepart and a heel-part capable of relativesliding move ment, a member connecting said last part-s, said memberbeing aflixed to one of said parts and slidably connected to the otherof said parts, and a locking member movably mounted on said connectingmember, and having a manually engageable portion projecting upwardlybeyond the contour of the last in front of the heel-part, so that it iscapable of directmanipulation.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twoWitnesses.

IIARRIE A. BALLARD.

Witnesses Y W. P. ABELL, P. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

